


Baekhyun and the Meddlesome Avifors Spell

by exolliarmus



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-16
Updated: 2017-09-16
Packaged: 2018-12-30 08:57:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,613
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12105204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exolliarmus/pseuds/exolliarmus
Summary: Troublemaker Baekhyun drags his group of friends out to the Forbidden Forest one night, only to end up with a bite from something he claims was very, very sinister. He is oh so sure that he will transform into a pheonix or some other fearsome creature, but the opposite turns out to be true when he discovers black feathers, and a quaint little beak...





	1. 이상한 마법 [Strange Magic]

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Baekhyun and the Meddlesome Avifors Spell  
> Pairing: Mainly Baekhyun & Jongdae (Chen) & lots of guest appearances from other Exo members!  
> Summary: Troublemaker Baekhyun drags his group of friends out to the Forbidden Forest one night, only to end up with a bite from something he claims was very, very sinister. He is oh so sure that he will transform into a pheonix or some other fearsome creature, but the opposite turns out to be true when he discovers black feathers, and a quaint little beak...  
> Welcome to Hufflepuff House, where friendship reigns and loyalty runs deep!  
> Rating: PG :))  
> Word Count: 9,601  
> Author's Note: I absolutely loved this prompt and fell in love with it at first sight. To write this story, I took a lot of time to re-read/observe J.K. Rowling's narrative style and tried my very best to incorporate it. I also hope no one minds that in this story, I decided to highlight friendship and its importance in a setting like Hogwarts ♡ 
> 
> Order of the chapters is as follows [They're listed in Korean & English]:
> 
> 1\. 변백현 [The Curious Case of Baekhyun]  
> 2\. 수수께끼의 전문 [The Riddle Master]  
> 3\. 금단의 숲 [The Forbidden Forest]  
> 4\. 이상한 마법 [Strange Magic]

**Part I**

 

Our story begins at Hufflepuff Commons, an earthy den tucked deep inside Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. If it just so happens that you are in the right place, tapping the right set of charmed barrels, you’ll arrive at its parlor: all around are woodworkings of polished oak, drapes striped black and yellow like bees, and oh so many plants, tucked into color-changing pots, sprouting from the windowsills and snaking across the low ceilings. The dorms are nearly always bathed in sunlight, even during the winter. Some go as far as to call it the “place of eternal sunshine” for that very reason.   
  
In a place known for such tranquility, one would least expect to find the sort of chaos which unfolded in December of ‘92, but chaos is exactly what occurred...  
  
“Stop it, or you'll freeze to death!” A student by the name of Jongdae shouted.  
  
In spite of his pleading, the other boy, a 7th year named Baekhyun, continued to hop madly back and forth, sending cold articles of clothing and various waterlogged trinkets flying across the parlor. A group of First Years fled the room chattering about the "insufferable upper class", but a girl who had been trying her level best to ignore the commotion suddenly yanked her wet materials and stomped over to the quarreling boys.  
  


"What are you two idiots carryin’ on about?" She demanded.

  
Baekhyun poked his tongue at her, earning him a good strike to the head with a damp edition of _Flesh-Eating Trees of the World_. Kang Seulgi, or _Slug_ , as he sometimes liked to call her, was not one for playing games when her usual state of affairs were threatened. She was an excellent pupil with a spotless record, determined to maintain her image.   
  
"I've been trying to dry him off but he just won't listen to me." Jongdae said.  
  
"What were you doing out there,looking for merpeople to try out your first kiss?" Seulgi asked. (although with her accent, Baekhyun heard something more along the lines of "farst kiss").  
  
Baekhyun wrinkled his nose, "You know, sometimes I wish you came with an off-button. And if you certainly must know, I was taking care of business."  
  
"Business or not, it was foolish. Now hold still so I can dry you off." Jongdae said. He reached for the wand in his cloak, sending Baekhyun into another fit.  
  
"Don't point that thing at me!"  
  
"But I've been practicing!"  
  
"Kim Jongdae, I'm serious! You may be the smarter wizard, but you and I both know you can't control that wand.”   
  
Seulgi tightened her fists in annoyance,"Get on with it!" She shouted back at Jongdae, who was nursing a wounded sense of pride. 

 

He drew out his wand: 11-inches of cedarwood with thunderbird tail feather at its core (a powerful but turbulent pairing). Nervously, he pointed it towards the students who were presently engaged in a heated battle. It was unclear whether Seulgi or Baekhyun had the upper hand as the girl grabbed a fistful of his dripping hair.   
  
" _Ventus_!" Jongdae shouted.   
  
A whip of the hand sent gusts of wind spiralling from his wand tip, causing both of the children to land at opposite ends of the room. Baekhyun fell upon a horribly misplaced cactus and immediately shot up with a yelp. His hair was usually in a pitiful state, but at the moment it appeared like something much worse, as though he'd been standing out in a lightning storm. He was, however, as marvelously dry as one could be.   
  
In another corner of the room, Seulgi lay beneath a row of tables, groaning softly as a cascade of books tumbled onto her head. Jongdae rushed to her aid but he was beaten to it by a furious prefect who had arrived to investigate the commotion.  
  
"BYUN! Can't you last three minutes without ruining my day?"  
  
"B-but I didn’t-"  
  
"No use arguing now, I want you on toilet duty!" The wizard, Kim Heechul, said. He jabbed a finger at Baekhyun's shoulder, "And just so you don't think about trying one of your half-assed charms to get out of cleaning, your wand, hand it over." 

 

Baekhyun obeyed, watching regretfully as Heechul stormed out of the commons, his wand in hand and a dazed Seulgi following close behind.    
  
Jongdae's eyes flitted across the ceiling as though it were suddenly more interesting. As much as he valued integrity, he had decided to let the prefect believe he had absolutely nothing to do with the mess. I suppose anyone would do so to escape such a horrid punishment.  
  
"Sorry..." He whispered to Baekhyun, who had been kneeling to rearrange a displaced row of plants.   
  
"I'll forgive you only if you scrub the toilet."   
  
"As lovely as that sounds, I’ll have to decline your offer."   
  
"Why don't we strike a deal, then? I'll finish that Potion-making thesis for Alchemy- you know, the one you've been putting off?" Baekhyun replied cleverly.   
  
Jongdae winced at the sudden recollection of a 10-paged monster lurking under his bunk. He was rather poor in elemental studies and certainly could not afford another 'missing assignment'. Baekhyun, on the other hand, was skilled at the subject. Because of his troublemaking nature, he was an expert in concocting all sorts of chemical mischief. He alone handed in the thesis paper two weeks ago (it was the only assignment he'd turned in the entire term, mind you).   
  
After careful consideration, Jongdae decided to take his offer, "Deal." He mumbled.   
  
"Alright then. And one more thing: meet me here tonight, I've got something to show you." Baekhyun replied with a wink.   
  
"And what's that?"   
  
Jongdae asked this with a high level of suspicion. Whenever Baekhyun spoke of "work" it always pertained to something with high prospect of them facing expulsion.   
  
"You'll see. 11 sharp. Don't forget to scrub beneath the covers." And with that he skipped off, leaving Jongdae to wonder which maniacal gears were turning in the boy's mind. 

  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  


**Part II**

  
Three bottles of pumpkin juice and several quills later, Baekhyun organized the leaflets of a completed thesis on Jongdae's bunk. No one could discuss metal transmutation as eloquently as he did; even the boy's professor had said it on many occasions. 

 

As usual, he had finished the assignment with plenty of time to spare for idle thought. He pushed back the curtains of his dormitory window and watched the sunset descend upon the very lake that had almost drowned him earlier. He remembered the dream that had led him to its shores, repeating itself every night for the past year or so: always a mirror, ornate gold, with a cloudy surface, floating just under the surface of the lake. As Jongdae wisely stated before, entering it was "a foolish thing to do"; the water had been freezing and infested with merpeople who didn't take so kindly to his intrusion of their marine haven. He lifted the leg of his trouser to glance at several jagged lacerations near his ankle. They would undoubtedly leave nasty scars.   
  
Baekhyun squinted at the face of his watch; it read 10:50 p.m. He hummed a bright tune while throwing on a large sweater he'd nabbed from roommate Park Chanyeol. The tall, curly-haired boy was almost never in the Hufflepuff den, preferring instead to lurk school chambers with a student who was just as much of a wanderer: Oh Sehun. On this particular night, the two were poking around an old closet filled with magic artifacts. They had pestered Baekhyun to tag along as well, but he had declined in light of more 'important matters'.   
  
A string of curses escaped Baekhyun's mouth as the door to his room accidently slammed shut. He glanced around and quickly raised the hood of his sweater to conceal his face. It was high time to find Jongdae's whereabouts. 

  
  
  


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Part III**   
  


Fifteen-year-old Kang Seulgi was what her father referred to as a 'spitfire'. Unlike many of her English friends, she was rough around the edges with ample scars to show for it. She sported long, red hair that was always somewhat tangled and smelled of Wild Geese Rum (apparently it helped the knots). An Irish native throughout, she spoke with an accent and a quirky dialect that manifested itself when she was filled with emotion.  
  
Contrary to her abrasive nature, Seulgi possessed sharp, attractive features that drew many admirers. Boys, as far as she was concerned, were simple creatures: she cocked her charming head and they bought her all sorts of treats; in fact, the space under her bunk was stocked with Chocolate Frogs and Every Flavor beans from too many of them. One admirer had even promised to see her in the Commons when he returned from his usual nightly business. During their last meeting he had brought her a charmed violin which played Mozart and Beethoven. She was rather curious to see what he would turn up with once again.   
  
Seulgi inspected the reflection in her vanity mirror for the last time. Aside from the usual frizzy wisps of hair, she felt that she looked pretty enough. She shook her head regretfully at the storm of clothing and accessories floating above her bed, they would just have to wait until she found time to organize them again. She reached for her favorite sweater and left the room, making sure to use a Colloportus charm to lock its entryway.   
  
It didn’t take our heroine a great deal of time to realize she was being followed as she made her way through the dark corridors. It seemed like an eerie game of pursuit: whenever she stopped, the footsteps behind her would cease. If she slowed her pace, the sounds grew fainter.   
  


"W-who's there?" She called over her shoulder.   
  
Nothing but silence followed the sound of her voice.   
  
She pointed her wand at the shadow and formed a small loop in the air.   
  
" _Lumos_." She whispered.   
  
The brilliant spark emitting from her wand revealed a hooded boy, shielding his face with a familiar pair of delicate hands.   
  
“What are you doin' here so late? Not enough toilets to scrub?"  
  
Baekhyun scowled, "It's past your bedtime isn't it? Get out of here."   
  
"Now you've caught my attention. Where are we heading tonight?"   
  
"I'm not going anywhere that I’d want to take you.."   
  
“You’d better tell me before I wake everyone."   
  
Baekhyun clamped a hand over her mouth, (which, by the way, she effortlessly pried off). "I'm meeting Jongdae in the commons," he rasped. "Follow me, but keep your mouth shut!"   
  
"Since you're askin' so nicely, I'll come along." 

 

**Part IV**   
  


Kim Jongdae was the perfect foil to his best friend. The eighteen-year-old possessed a level-headedness that was foreign to Baekhyun, yet the two of them got along so well, it was impossible to search for one without finding the other. Wherever Baekhyun happened to be, there Jongdae was also, attempting to rid them both of his misdeeds.    
  
Jongdae came from a pitifully crowded family in a small, insignificant town. Despite having a wizard father, his mother was as muggle as they came, and ten of their children, (excluding Jongdae), had turned out to be just like her. While the rest of the children had attended public schools and taken on cubicle jobs, Jongdae had been the only one fortunate to receive admission at Hogwarts.  
  
They say the grass is greener on the other side, and for some cases this may be true, but never entirely. Baekhyun was the youngest in a lineage of very wealthy Pure Bloods, the only child of Lord and Lady Byun of Warminster County. In a home governed by tiresome rules, the boy should have been well disciplined, but for as long as he could remember, he’d been forced to act out in order to make his presence known in a society with little place for children. His parents only ever acknowledged him when angry phone calls arrived; such as the ones they received from homemakers about “little boys stealing their windowsill pies” or mothers calling to inquire why Little Master Byun had snipped off their daughters’ curls.  
  
The boys' first ever meeting had been during one of Baekhyun’s many illicit attempts to escape his parents' watchful eyes.   
  
There had been a dragon boat race on the outskirts of a county named Somerset. He had always been curious to see what forms of entertainment muggles took to, and Jongdae had been more than delighted to show him.    
  
"What an interesting sport. Fifteen paddlers in one boat, imagine that!"  
  
Jongdae was leaning against a dock overlooking the waters of the Reservoir at the time. He smiled with an intent to show off to the novice spectator.   
“Isn't it? Started with the Chinese, you know. In fac-”   
  
“Yes, yes I know all about it! _Lóngzhōu_ correct?”   
  
Jongdae huffed, “Right. Where exactly are you from? I've never seen you around here.”   
  
“Wiltshire, it's a ways from here.”   
  
Jongdae suddenly remembered the patch his eldest brother had sewn into his shirt the night before. The sole coming away from the bottom of his left sneaker came to mind as well. Wiltshire was home to many affluent Brits; no wonder the boy looked so far removed from the villagers he knew.   
  
“What's your name?” the boy asked.    
  
“Jongdae, and yours?”   
  
“Baekhyun, but I’d like if you called me Baek.”  
  


In spite of their differences, they found many things to talk about. Muggles, Baekhyun realized, were not so pitiful as his parents had raised him to believe. They too liked cricket matches, motorbikes, and bangers. That evening, Baekhyun had tried things like sharp cheddar and eel smoked over applewood. They had even discussed magic, though not intentionally.  
  
“You're a wizard, aren't you?” Jongdae said, eyeing Baekhyun over a large mug of cider. The two boys were comfortably settled on a large stone wall that went around Jongdae's cottage. Warm, sticky air made their hair stand on end, and their faces glowed with happiness under a shower fireworks.   
  
Baekhyun had nearly choked then.   
  
“A what?”   
  
“No use hiding it. There's a wand in your cloak, I saw it earlier, but I didn't want to say anything until I was positively sure.”   
  
“D-don’t go telling anyone,” Baekhyun stammered. He cursed himself for the careless mistake of bringing his wand to such a public area.   
  
Jongdae snorted, “Oh please, I've got one too. These muggles wouldn't know a wand from a twig. Your secret is safe with me.”   
  
That night, they said their goodbyes on the note to meet again at the start of a new semester at Hogwarts.   
  
For the last five years Jongdae had tagged along as Baekhyun tangled himself in all kinds of mischief. He had participated in everything from pranks on unsuspecting housemates to late-night quests in restricted library sections. As he waited, half asleep in the Commons Area, after scrubbing one too many toilets, he wondered what new thing Baekhyun was preparing to drag him into.   
  
A pair of bickering voices startled Jongdae, awaking him from a short-lived nap. He reached for his wand only to set it down when Seulgi approached with hers illuminated. Baekhyun trailed close behind, repeatedly pleading that she ‘keep out of his business’.   
  
“No way! I'm stayin’ right here,” she hissed back.   
  
The children were forced to set aside their petty argument when Jongdae cleared his throat, “What was it you wanted to show me?” He said.   
  


Baekhyun glanced around the room cautiously. He felt the front of his hoodie for a long, cold object resting in the pocket and placed it at the center of an empty study table.   
  
Three curious heads bobbed around a gold mirror with an unusually cloudy face.    
  
“I found this in the lake. It’s the same mirror I've been seeing in my dreams every night.”   
  
“What dreams? You haven't told me a thing about them.” Jongdae said.  
  
Baekhyun shrugged, “That's besides the point.”   
  
“Then what is your point?”   
  
“My point is that I dreamt of this mirror being in the lake and that’s exactly where it was. It could be important.” 

 

“Or cursed,” Jongdae added.   
  


Seulgi tapped its glass surface curiously, “So you've got your special mirror, now what? This thing is probably useless,” she murmured.   
  
Jongdae lifted the piece, turning it over several times to inspect it, but he too found nothing of substance. He handed it to Baekhyun with a frown, “Seulgi makes a valid point,” he said. “What you've got there might as well be rubbish.”   
  
Baekhyun drummed his fingers against the table. After all the trouble he'd gone through to acquire the blasted mirror, the last thing he wanted to hear was ‘useless’. He raised it to eye level and began to give it a stern lecture.   
  
“Come on you poor excuse for metal!”   
  
_Thump_. He banged it against the table.   
  
“I am your master!” He said, waving it tirelessly above his head.   
  
“ _Reveal yourself_ , mirror!” He shouted, trying a simple incantation he had learned some years ago.   
  
Suddenly the room was filled with the luminescence of a soft blue light from the mirror. The cloudy surface dispelled and in its place was a scenery all too familiar. Baekhyun squinted at the glass and saw the clear image of a dark forest, highlighted by the presence of a glowing orb.   
  
“Hell, it's a magic mirror...” Jongdae said.   
  
“Forbidden forest, inn'it?” Seulgi said. Her skin had gone rather pale and her accent came out thick as ever.   
  
“Do you think it wants us to go there?” Baekhyun suggested.   
  
“Baek, I'd really like if you used that brain of yours from time to time.” Jongdae said.  
  
"That's like beggin' for expulsion," Seulgi pitched in.   
  
“Not if we go with someone who knows how to get around without being seen,” Baekhyun suggested.   
  
“Please don't tell me you're thinking of him,” Jongdae mumbled.   
  
“Thinking of who?” Seulgi asked.  
  
Jongdae pinched the bridge of his nose tightly, “Do Kyungsoo.” 

 

The boy was a quirky student in Baekhyun’s Alchemy class. He was a bit of a savant when magic was involved, (hence why the school grounds keeper had taken him on as an apprentice). He knew Hogwarts and its surrounding areas like the back of his hand. If anyone could get them in and out of the forest without a soul to suspect their whereabouts, it was Do Kyungsoo. The difficulty, however, was convincing the riddle-tied Slytherin to do so. 

  
  
  
  
  



	2. 수수께끼의 전문 [The Riddle Master]

**Part I**

 

As a creature of habit, Kim Jongin, a 7th Year Ravenclaw, always sat precisely in the third row, fifteenth bench of his Alchemy class. Not a single person noticed until a student by the name of Do Kyungsoo had approached him with a very straightforward question: why did he insist on doing so? Apparently, the boy had been keeping notes on Jongin's behavior as a hobby. He enjoyed studying the “extraordinary”, though Jongin was skeptical of his definition of the word. 

 

Soon enough, he became more than a seatmate: as Jongin's only friend, he turned their long-winded lessons into a circus of sorts. Kyungsoo, a transfer from the French Beauxbatons Academy, was as wonderfully bizarre as they came: he pasted photographs of muggle research in his notebooks, charmed his belongings to avoid house sprites, and communicated primarily through a series of riddles. (Truth be told, Jongin was the only person with enough wit to put up with him). 

 

When he entered the classroom one cold morning, in particular, Jongin discovered that a certain shabby-haired menace had already taken his seat. Muttering under his scarf, he stalked over to his best friend, in search of an explanation. But Kyungsoo, who was very engaged in conversation, hadn't even noticed Jongin's presence- missing or not, for that matter. 

 

"Hyung." Jongin said. Kyungsoo waved his hand to silence the distracting voice coming from behind. Clearly, he was very interested in Baekhyun's nonsense.

 

It made Jongin quite worried. He hated to be in the company of strangers. If someone else wanted his seat, the two would have to settle it face to face. 

 

He turned to Baekhyun with a deep frown, "You're in my place. Get up," he said. 

 

Baekhyun grinned up at him with a candy cane protruding from his mouth like a smoker's pipe, "Well, good morning to you too. I hope you don't mind me sitting here," he mumbled. Peppermint saliva landed on Jongin's shoulder, but he hardly gave it notice. 

 

"Rat." He sneered, mostly to himself because the two traitors were huddled together, whispering excitedly again. 

 

A loud bang startled the class as the instructor waltzed in, her long robe trailing behind her like black tail feathers. Professor Eun juggled all sorts of quaint items: beakers in every size imaginable, weathered field guides, and egg-shaped goggles. A cloud of dust floated up when she set the items on her desk. She wasn't much of an advocate for cleaning.

 

"Alright everyone, to your seats! Oh for the love of Merlin, quickly Kim Jongin! We have much to do today!" She shouted.

 

Her students cast wary glances at each other. In order to learn anything of value in Professor Eun's classroom, one had to pay close attention to the transformations she performed and do the exact opposite. How she had acquired her position as a 7th Year Alchemy instructor, no one truly knew. She was a talented witch, but a dreadfully poor alchemist. Without the help of her teacher's aide, she would have blown the classroom to bits long ago. 

 

Jongin dragged himself to the only empty seat and shoved his belongings underneath the table. His fingers tugged glumly at the loose threads dotting his scarf. It had been an early Christmas gift from Kyungsoo; pure Anatolian wool from the Pyrenees mountains. Though it was itchy and knit together sloppily, he was compelled to wear the token of their friendship everywhere.

 

To his right, Kang Seulgi eyed her new bench mate suspiciously, "Did you lose your way or something? Where's Baekhyun?" She demanded. 

 

Jongin shrugged timidly and focused his attention on their frazzled professor. She looked another "what are we doing today" query from leaping out of the nearest open window. As she began to share the contents of the day's lesson with her students, her eyes flitted between two in particular. She stammered through several passages in Advanced Potion-Making until she could no longer ignore the source of her anxiety. 

 

"Baekhyun darling, it makes me rather nervous to see you sitting with Mr. Do, considering last week’s prank involving Miss Kang. Please return to your assigned seat," she said. 

 

Jongin was the first to spring up then, taking only a few moments to weasel his way up the rows. He furrowed his brows when Baekhyun turned back to wave ‘Au Revoir’ to Kyungsoo as if he were leaving a long-time friend behind. 

 

"What is he up to this time?" Jongin mumbled. 

 

Kyungsoo didn't answer. He placed a notebook on the table and began to scribble furiously in it. When he finished, he slid the book to Jongin who lifted it curiously: on the page was a fairly decent sketch of a forest, but it was no ordinary cluster of trees. Jongin had seen the area before. It was none other than the Forbidden Forest, and he knew that Kyungsoo was the only student in their year even remotely familiar with it. If Baekhyun had inquired about the place, then Jongin was sure that he was up to no good. 

  
  


**Part II**

 

Peals of laughter echoed against the corridor walls as Baekhyun found himself in trouble yet again. This time, he had managed to trash Kim Heechul's dorm while searching for his confiscated wand. The ill-conceived plan had been foiled by a Second Year who had seen a 'stranger' enter the room.

 

"RETURN THAT WAND AT ONCE!" Heechul barked. 

 

"I finished your damn chores, what more do you want?" Baekhyun shouted. He pointed his wand at the prefect to send another wave of snowballs, but Heechul was too clever to fall for the same diversion twice. He ducked, causing the attack to sail over his head. 

 

Baekhyun panicked when Heechul suddenly grabbed the hood of his cloak. He turned a sharp corner to free himself but it would only lead to a dead end. The path was blocked entirely by a team of house elves lugging a decorated Christmas tree across the hall. He waved his arms frantically but the elves went about their business as if nothing were the matter. 

 

"Out of the way!" He shrieked. 

 

They ignored him.

 

Baekhyun sucked in a deep breath and attempted to jump over the procession. The world seemed to be falling in slow motion as he catapulted towards the ground. He would land rather painfully on his bottom in the bustling Great Hall. He cheered silently as Heechul fared a much worse fate of colliding with the Christmas tree. 

 

It'll be a real miracle if he remembers any of this tomorrow, Baekhyun thought smugly. 

 

Sliding his wand into the pocket of his cloak, he rushed over to a group of Hufflepuff students engaged in serious conversation about the Christmas holidays. 

 

"Miss me?" He said, taking a seat next to Jongdae. 

 

The latter shoved his Flummery pudding in Baekhyun's direction, "Your favorite. Eat it before I change my mind.” Before he could accept the offering, however, Jongdae pulled it back slightly, “By the way, where on earth have you been?" He said. 

 

Baekhyun snatched the pudding dish, "Taking care of business, as usual" he mumbled. 

 

Jongdae nodded, partly satisfied with the answer, and slid the remainder of his Peking Duck to the hungry boy.  

 

"Did you get your wand back from that stubborn bull?” Seulgi asked.

 

"Naturally." 

 

"I'm impressed. Maybe you aren't as useless as ya' look." 

 

With a devilish grin, Baekhyun flicked a spoonful of gooey pudding in her direction but she froze it midair with her wand. 

 

"I thought I told you cheap tricks like that are a waste of time. I won't have you underestimating a girl like me." She scolded. 

 

Baekhyun gasped, "You're a girl? I honestly had no idea." 

 

A boy who had been objectively watching the disorder at their table set down his reading material with a shake of his head, "That is no way to talk to a lady, Baekhyun. Careful, you might end up telling your tasteless jokes to Jongdae for the rest of your life," he said. He was a fifth year by the name of Zhang Yixing, and also the younger brother of a Chinese man who had married one of Jongdae's several older sisters.

 

Baekhyun slung an arm around Jongdae's shoulder, "You'll listen to my tasteless jokes forever, won't you?"

 

Jongdae shrugged, "What else am I here f-" 

 

"Coming through! Make way!" Said a deep voice, interrupting their conversation. The children shuffled around to make room for students Chanyeol and Sehun.

 

As he took a seat, Chanyeol tossed one of his bread rolls to Seulgi, "Last one. You're lucky I'm such a great boyfriend, in spite of the fact that you forgot our meeting the other night." 

 

"Friend, you're a wonderful friend," Seulgi replied. 

 

Sehun choked suddenly, blaming the outburst on a piece of meat that was just too dry. Chanyeol whacked his back harshly. One could never be too careful. 

 

"Now that we're all here, the Yule Ball is coming up," Yixing said. 

 

"Just kill me already. Another year, still no escort. Do you know how many times I've been turned down? I'll end up going alone, or worse- with Chanyeol again," Sehun grumbled. 

 

"I’d be more than happy to go with you," Seulgi offered. 

 

It was Chanyeol's turn to choke then, but thankfully, Sehun declined her offer.

 

"There's no need for that. I'm leaving for the holidays early this year. I'll spend my lonely Christmas at home just fine," he said. 

 

"And you, Jongdae?" Yixing asked.

 

"Don't humor me. We all know Baekhyun and I will end up wearing matching Christmas ties," He mumbled. 

 

"I think the elf designs really made a statement last year," Baekhyun joked. He laughed heartily at their pitiful situation until he found himself distracted suddenly by the presence of a reddish pygmy owl on his shoulder. 

 

"Hello there little friend," Jongdae said, untying the note attached to its foot and offering a fish head from an untouched herring salad as payment. He unrolled the miniature scroll and read aloud as the others crowded around him. 

 

_ Baekhyun, your presence is requested at the black kettle which never dries. 19th hour sharp. _

 

_ P.S. Bring only one guest, we are low on funds.  _

 

_ D.K.S & K.J  _

 

"What the hell does that mean?" Sehun asked. 

 

“Another riddle I swear...” Jongdae grumbled. 

 

"A riddle? Let’s give it a try. Something constantly wet can be referred to as dripping, damp, or even leaky," Yixing suggested. 

 

"And the only other word I can recall for kettle is a cauldron," Seulgi added. 

 

"The Leaky Cauldron, then!" Chanyeol exclaimed. 

 

Jongdae sighed, "Do Kyungsoo and his insufferable riddles again. I'm beginning to think it's a Beauxbatons thing."

 

"That explains the first signature, but who is K.J?" Yixing asked. 

 

Seulgi snorted, "Kim Jongin. Those two really are attached at the hip," she said. 

 

"Alright then, who's the lucky guest, Baekhyun? I could really use some Butterbeer." Chanyeol said. 

 

"Would you mind taking me? I swear my Mum will box my ears if I don’t bring home a jar of pickled eels," Sehun said. 

 

Baekhyun raised his hands to silence the table, "Sorry everyone, Jongdae's the only lucky guest I'll be taking. But pickled eels and Butterbeer, I've got it noted." 

 

As some of the children returned to their Holiday woes, Baekhyun elbowed Jongdae with a grin and mouthed something along the lines of "Diagon Alley, tonight.” 

 

Jongdae was quite unsure what to expect. It was Baekhyun’s doing, after all. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Part III**

 

Winter tore through the cobblestone streets of Diagon Alley, turning the noses of four children who shouldn't have been there mistletoe-red. Snow clung to the falls of their damp robes as they shuffled along streets covered in slippery ice and partially frozen mud. A hyper boy amongst them, raven-haired with pale skin and ruddy cheeks, pointed excitedly at a shop to their left. It was a quaint little building, shaped like a pink gift box, a banner above it reading ‘Sugarplum’s Sweet Shop’. 

 

“Look!” Baekhyun exclaimed, “I bet there's strawberry cakes there.” 

 

Jongdae, who had been watching in disapproving silence, tugged the hood of his robe, pulling him away from the unfortunate window he had been drooling on, “Baek, keep in mind why we’re here in the first place,” he scolded, dragging him past many more enticing shops. 

 

Several blocks later, they found themselves inside the Leaky Cauldron, a dingy reminder of their original business. Since Kyungsoo and Jongin had arrived earlier, they were already seated in a dim corner of the bar, warming their hands on mugs of earl grey. 

 

“Look who finally decided to join us,” Jongin said. 

 

“Try dragging someone like him through Diagon Alley,” Jongdae said, pointing to Baekhyun, who was connecting straws to reach a nearby gentleman’s Exploding Lemonade.

 

“Fair enough. Now onto business. The two of you want to enter the Forbidden Forest, but why exactly?” Kyungsoo said.

 

Baekhyun, fully attentive, set his mirror on the bar counter and recited the incantation he had tried the night before.

 

Reveal yourself, mirror.

 

The surface glowed a brilliant blue and once again, it displayed an orb of light nestled in a tree that looked quite old. Kyungsoo scrunched his nose to keep the glasses resting on it from sliding onto the table. He mumbled a host of nonsense to himself and then turned to Baekhyun with a very serious expression. 

 

“You know, if you look at a clock, it’ll tell the same time at exactly two moments during the day; which is which, only a person with proper sense can tell.”

 

“Could you try speaking the Queen’s English for once?” Jongdae snapped.

 

“I think what Hyung means to say is that you shouldn't go running after this thing. Why don't you tell Professor Eun, or better yet, Dumbledore himself?” Jongin said.

 

Baekhyun scoffed, “I'll take my chances, thank you, the only thing I need to know is that either one of you is willing to help me.”

 

“What's in it for us?” Jongin asked.

 

“I'll buy you all the glow-in-the-dark bubble gum you could possibly eat,” Baekhyun said.

 

“Kyungsoo hates bubble gum.” 

 

“Sugar Quills then? Jelly Slugs?”

 

“Or rather, Peppermint Toads and Sugar Quills for him, and Chocolate Frogs, Nougat, and Fudge Flies for me,” Jongin replied. 

 

“Ask him to buy Honeyduke’s itself, why don't you,” Jongdae mumbled.

 

Baekhyun placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. He appreciated the concern from his more serious companion but sweets, he felt, were not a matter to pick fights over. After all, money had never been out of reach for little Master Byun.

 

“Deal.” 

 

Kyungsoo gave him a Cheshire smile, “Now that we're on the same page, let's begin,” he rolled out a large parchment and thumbed its wrinkled surface, “This is a map of Hogwarts and the surrounding forest. The only way to enter without being seen is to use an invisibility cloak,or any inconspicuous magic for that matter. I have something, but I doubt it will fit our entire company here.”

 

“I'm sure Chanyeol can find us a thing or two, with all of that wandering around magic closets he does” Jongdae suggested.

 

Kyungsoo nodded, “If that's settled, then we can depart from Hogwarts when night falls,on Christmas Eve. Until then, keep your distance; we aren't exactly friends and it might give others a reason to suspect us.”

 

“Sounds like a plan,” Baekhyun said, rubbing his hands together excitedly. 

 

Kyungsoo rolled up the map and ordered two butterbeers for his guests. He and Jongin would take their leave shortly after, but not before making a stop at the bookstore to pick up the latest edition of _ Botany and the Forbidden Forest _ . 

 

“What's this for,  _ Hyung _ ?” Jongin asked, relieving his friend of a wrapped parcel containing the heavy volume. 

 

Kyungsoo began to fiddle with his glasses,“That tree in his mirror,” he said quietly, I've seen it before, and it may be as good as it is bad. My speculation is that the latter is more true.” 

 

“So what exactly are we dealing with here?”

 

Kyungsoo frowned, “I don't know, but we're going to find out. Let's hope this quest is worth all that candy Baekhyun promised us.” 

 


	3. 금단의 숲 [The Forbidden Forest]

**Part I**

 

_ The Magic Closet  _

 

“Damn it, this place is crawling with insects!” Sehun exclaimed. He had been battling spiders and an army of roaches for a good hour with little sign of a victory. He brushed a long, suspicious creature from his shoulder and scowled at Chanyeol, who was knee-deep in dusty artifacts. They had been poking around a room used for storage near the school dungeon but he had yet to find anything powerful enough to disguise Baekhyun and Jongdae in the forest. Instead, he was rummaging through boxes of muggle trinkets and pocketing everything that caught his eye. So far, he had shoved an entire family of small, rubber ducklings into his robe. He'd read somewhere that they were nothing more than muggle bath toys, but he was almost certain Seulgi would appreciate them.     
  


“This closet is the best one we've explored yet! I’ll bet all the money in my pocket there's species of insects in here that are extinct in England,” he said.   
“Oh shut up already, and wipe the grime off your face” Sehun grumbled. He moved to a corner of the room with less clutter, and devoted himself to a shelf of potions. Two vials caught his attention, one of which had a rosy sheen, labeled _Amortentia_. He removed the cork at its mouth and gingerly took a whiff; oddly enough, the liquid smelled of his favorite Americano coffee.  
  
“Find anything useful?” A voice called from above.   
  
Sehun jumped back in alarm as Baekhyun hung from the rafters, his black hair swinging wildly back and forth.  
  
He pulled out his wand and began to levitate a murky jar ominously named ‘Open at your own risk’. He squinted at the writing, (which, for him, was entirely upside down), and frowned, "There isn't anything useful in this closet, just fat old plants!"   
  
Sehun reached up to snatch the jar floating above his head, "Break this, and those _fat old plants_ will scream until our ears bleed," he said, replacing it in a hurry. He recalled the last time they had accidentally disturbed a collection of mandrakes; it had resulted in everyone nearly losing their heads trying to console the repulsive things.   
  
"That's all part of the fun," Baekhyun mumbled. He tumbled from the rafters, straight into an open crate of dark, silky material. He prodded around nosily until he pulled up exactly what the small company had been searching for all along: an invisibility cloak.   
  
"Finally!" He shouted, waving the cloak excitedly.   
  
Sehun cheered, eager to retreat from the conflict he had begun with a rather nasty tarantula.

 

At the opposite end of the room, Chanyeol struggled to stand up with rubber ducks cradled in his robe. He would eventually find himself waddling after Baekhyun and Sehun just to keep them all in a row. 

  
  


_The Library_   
  
"Has my pet _Slug_ found anything interesting for us to read?" Baekhyun said, tugging Seulgi's red ponytail from behind.   
  
The girl faced him with a pursed expression, her reading glasses angrily pushed up, "Ya idiot, this is a library. Stop shoutin," she hissed.   
  
Yixing, who was scribbling furiously into a lessons book beside her, glanced up then, "We've found a lot of interesting details, actually. Have a seat,"  he said. 

 

Baekhyun obeyed. 

 

He glanced at the empty seat to his left, wondering where Jongdae could possibly be. Last time they'd spoken, he had promised Baekhyun he would look in on the research Seulgi and Yixing were conducting. Where was he?  
  
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Chanyeol clambering into the library, breathing heavily from his journey up the moving staircase.   
  


"Look what I brought this time. Ducks made of rubber!" He exclaimed.   
  
"Aye, that's very nice of you," Seulgi replied flatly. She was occupied with keeping Baekhyun, who was insistent on conducting a search for his ‘missing’ best friend, at the table.  
  
Chanyeol huffed, "She didn't even look at them," he mumbled to Sehun.  
  
“Save your ducks for when she doesn't have her hands full. You know how Baekhyun can be.” 

 

**Part II**

 

_ Previously, while Chanyeol, Baekhyun, and Sehun were on a quest… _

 

Jongdae stumbled along, only half conscious as Seulgi dragged him through the passageways and seemingly endless flights of stairs that consisted of Hogwarts. The school was almost devoid of light in some places, and if it had not been for her tight grip on him, they might have lost one another until the sun rose.

 

At the end of their journey, (off a corridor in the Training Grounds Tower), the library, aglow with several golden chandeliers, greeted them. Tens of thousands of volumes about subjects, both familiar and unfamiliar lined every shelf. At the center of the room was a long table surrounded by more armchairs than one would ever hope to encounter. Had he not been so exhausted, Jongdae would have marveled at the overall extravagance of each detail.

 

“Any reason why we're here so early? I have Herbology in two hours and if I don't show up this time, Professor Sprout will bury me alive,” he whined. 

 

“We'll only be here until Baekhyun returns with or without a cloak,” Seulgi said.

 

“Thank goodness the two of you are here!”A voice interrupted from behind. 

 

Dressed in fluffy sheep pajamas and his usual pair of glasses, Yixing approached them with a flickering candle in hand. He uttered a cheerful good morning to the children and led them to a section of books about magical objects.

 

“There's an entire volume here dedicated to magic mirrors, but I can't find a single reference to the one Seulgi described to me last night,” he said. 

 

“I knew it was rubbish,” Jongdae mumbled. 

 

“And that’s where you’d be wrong,” a familiar voice said. 

 

The three of them glanced to the side where Kyungsoo and Jongin were waving mitten-covered hands to beckon them closer. 

 

“It’s like a family reunion,” Kyungsoo said gleefully. 

 

“I thought we’d be the only ones here,” Jongdae whispered.

 

Seulgi shrugged, “Well, I invited Yixing because he’s smart, and the other two are technically involved as well,” she replied. 

 

“I can’t believe you dragged me out of bed for this.”

 

Kyungsoo pointed to the large book he had purchased the other day,  _ Botany and the Forbidden Forest _ , “So far we’ve seen some sort of glowing orb and an old tree in that mirror, right? The tree is what you call a mirage. Well, it isn’t really a mirage, it’s a plant that appears only when the actual tree has died.”

 

“Where’s the logic in that?” Jongdae asked.

 

“To make matters simple, it’s a bad omen.”

 

“Only Baekhyun would manage to find something cursed,” Seulgi said.

 

“But there is a high chance I could be wrong about this. There was a rumor floating around back in ‘87 that every one of those trees were destroyed.”

 

“Except one?” Yixing asked.

 

Kyungsoo shrugged, “The only way to know for sure-”

 

“Is to go see for ourselves,” Jongdae finished. 

 

Seulgi whacked his shoulder, “You aren’t even going to talk him out of it?”

 

“When Baek sets his mind to something, he isn’t likely to change it. You and I both know that.” 

 

“Whatever happens out there, it’s my responsibility to look after the two of you. But for the extra trouble, I’m adding Butterbeer to your tab,” Kyungsoo said. 

 

With the previous tension lifted, the students all gathered around the table and talked cheerfully about the coming holidays. Yixing mentioned the cats waiting for him back home in Andalucia, and Jongdae complained about having to spend the holidays in the Forbidden Forest because of Baekhyun. When the clock struck half past seven, the older students raced back to their dorms to prepare for the day ahead.

 

**Part III**

 

On the night of Christmas Eve, Baekhyun watched from the window of his dorm with excitement. It wasn't the snow falling so gently on the white ground or the sound of rustling packages that stirred up his insides, but the prospect of fulfilling a very strange and troubling dream. He glanced at his wristwatch; only forty minutes before he was to meet his friends by the frozen Black Lake. He'd been anxious the entire day: spilling several vials, setting a transformation on fire, and accidentally snipping off a lock of Seulgi's hair when she'd begged him to help her prepare for the Yule Ball. 

 

He slipped into his robe and tied the scarf Kyungsoo had gifted him for Christmas. His neck itched from the material, but it would certainly keep him warm. He secured his wand inside the robe and tucked the cloak under his arm for safekeeping. As he turned the handle to leave his room, Chanyeol rushed inside, dressed to the nines, a brightly colored stack of packages balanced in hand. 

 

“Going out?” He asked. 

 

Baekhyun nodded. 

 

“The Ball is tonight. Why don't you come?” 

 

“Jongdae won't be there, what kind of party is that?” Baekhyun joked. 

 

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow, “This mission is important to you, isn't it?” 

 

“It might be.” 

 

The tall boy set down his packages and began to rummage through the belongings in his trunk. He yanked out a small, woven hat and handed it to Baekhyun.

 

“Be safe out there,” Chanyeol said. He gave his famous toothy grin, “Someone has to open these gifts with me tomorrow morning.” 

  
  
  


**Part II**

 

To describe the weather as simply cold, would have done it little justice. In fact, it was so bitterly cold outside that the drippings of Baekhyun's nose froze into pretty little icicles that turned his nose bright red. Although he stood face to face with Jongdae, all he could properly see in the moonlight was a cloud of white whenever the boy opened his mouth to speak. Jongin wore a very disagreeable frown as he paced back and forth, greatly regretting his involvement. Kyungsoo was the only one wearing something that resembled smile as he traced markings he had made on a map of the forest. 

 

He raised a compass towards the West, “The forest awaits,” he stated dramatically. 

 

Baekhyun draped the invisibility cloak over both himself and Jongdae. He looked ahead to where Kyungsoo and Jongin had seemingly vanished into thin air and spotted the faintest trail of a white ribbon on the ground. The ribbon began to slowly inch forward and then it snaked quickly across the grass, prompting Baekhyun and Jongdae to follow at faster pace. 

 

If not for the moon, the darkness enveloped in the forest just might have eaten them alive. Trees crowded overhead like pointed teeth, owls, wolves, and plenty of other creatures the children couldn't identify, howled into the inky sky. Thorns scratched at Baekhyun’s ankles, reopening the wound he had received in the lake. 

 

“How much further?” Jongdae asked. 

 

The ribbon stopped moving, “It should be right around this clearing,” Kyungsoo replied. He threw off his cloak and Baekhyun did the same. 

 

Surely enough, a soft glow pierced the  darkness surrounding them. As if caught in a dream, Baekhyun approached the the light without a single thought. 

 

“Baek, what if this thing really is dangerous?” Jongdae cried. 

Baekhyun waved a hand to quiet him and reached out to the orb, which was glowing more intensely. He removed the mitten from his hand and impulsively touched its surface. Though the night air was cold, Baekhyun's hand felt warm. He turned back to his friends with a grin but he quickly found they did not share his enthusiasm.

 

Jongdae stepped forward, “L-let's go back,” he said. 

 

Baekhyun thought to reply but suddenly he felt a sharp pain course through his hand as if something had bitten it- hard. 

As he drew his arm away, the light began to morph into something with a more physical form: one wing, another wing, a head and a beak, until an entire bird appeared.

 

Baekhyun laughed nervously, “It's only a bird.” 

 

Upon hearing his voice, the creature cocked its head to the side and suddenly charged at the boy. As they collided, he flew backwards, his head striking a gnarled tree root before he landed on the ground. 

 

The last thing he remembered was the presence of three very obscure figures bickering over him.  

  
  
  



	4. exolliarmus@gmail.com 이상한 마법 [Strange Magic]

**Part I**

 

When Baekhyun finally awoke, it was still dark, but considerably warmer. He threw off a quilt that had been tucked around his lower half and switched on the lamp next to the bed. It was his dorm, just as he had left it the night before. Jongdae lay curled on the floor, snoring, and his roommate hung awkwardly from the side of his own bunk, a storm of gift wrappings his only covering. 

 

A rustle of papers sounded as Chanyeol perked his head, “Congratulations, you slept through Christmas,” he mumbled sleepily. 

 

“I've been unconscious all day?” Baekhyun asked. 

 

Chanyeol pointed to the floor, “He carried you in early this morning and he hasn't left since. He's been worried more than the rest of us, I think.”

 

He reached for two small packages on his bed and handed them to Baekhyun, “Seulgi brought the smaller one a few hours ago, some kind of unicorn hair tea, and the bigger parcel is from Jongin. He kept asking how you were doing.” Chanyeol said. 

 

Baekhyun uttered a small word of thanks and returned to his bunk. He removed the quilt and draped it lightly over Jongdae, to see if the boy would continue to sleep. Surprisingly, he didn't. A few moments later, he was wide awake with his usual complaints about the room and Baekhyun in general. 

 

“It's bloody cold in here…”

 

“You're awake!” Baekhyun exclaimed. 

 

“I slept two hours! Not to mention carrying you nearly destroyed my back. I hope last night was worth all that trouble.” 

 

Baekhyun grinned. Though his best friend didn't like to express many of his emotions, he could understand them very clearly. Jongdae had been worried sick. 

 

“Of course it was worth the trouble! Look, my hand has a scar,” he said, pulling up the sleeve of his robe to reveal an oddly-shaped mark. 

 

Chanyeol let out a slow whistle, “That's  cool.” 

 

Jongdae rolled his eyes, “I can't believe you were bitten by a glow-in-the-dark bird.” 

 

“Isn't it great? What if I grow wings or get phoenix powers?” Baekhyun said. He bounced around the dorm, flapping his arms like a deranged bird. 

 

“The world really doesn't need a flying Baekhyun.”

  
  


**Part II**

 

It would be best to inform you that Byun Baekhyun certainly did transform, but not in a way anyone could have anticipated.

 

It was normal for Baekhyun to pay little attention to Professor Eun and her dull alchemy lectures, but he found himself terribly distracted one day. It had almost nothing to do with the fact that it was the first day of classes in the new year, and everything to do with the presence of a tormenting itch. He felt as if someone had stuffed poison ivy into his clothing and left him to suffer quietly. 

 

"Stop all that scratchin', I can't focus!" Seulgi hissed. 

 

Baekhyun ignored her and continued to jab at his stomach. It was when he scratched his arm that he realized the source of his discomfort: small feathers were breaking the surface of his skin. He plucked one but another quickly replaced it. The feathers began to multiply at a much faster rate then, consuming his entire frame, which had also begun to shrink dramatically.  

 

He turned to Seulgi for an explanation, but she could only stare back at him, her mouth gaping. The boy who had been next to her moments ago was gone, in his place sat an odd little black owl. 

 

"Professor? I think Minseok has been  letting in owls again," a student named Junmyeon stated loudly. He pointed to a catlike boy, fast asleep in the same bench.

 

"Goodness, I don't care who let it in! Miss Kang, take our little friend out to the sporting grounds and release him," Professor Eun said. 

 

In spite of the angry pecking at her arm, Seulgi carried Baekhyun out of the classroom. Aside from closeby students whispering about Baekhyun's transformation, no one else seemed to notice the bizarre chain of events. Not even the mysterious pile of clothing lying on the classroom floor raised suspicion. Even those outside hardly found it odd to see a young witch dashing madly, troublesome bird in hand. 

 

Baekhyun perched on a stack of books in the library as his best friend took it upon himself to inspect his new birdly form. Jongdae lifted two owl wings and flapped them up and down curiously, "Baek, I am definitely saying this to alarm you: you've turned into a bird," he said. 

 

The owl-boy started to pace ,( athough to the average human eye, it would have looked more like hopping on two little stilts). "There has to be a way to undo this curse, I smell like tree trunks and dead things!" He exclaimed.

 

"But look how cute ya' are," Seulgi returned, She lifted Baekhyun onto her shoulder and stroked his head. 

 

He gripped her smallest finger with one of his claws, "This isn't funny! Help me or lose the finger," he said. 

 

"If it isn’t the greatest troublemaker Hogwarts has ever seen. I knew I recognized your voice,” Yixing interrupted. He had a very strange habit of floating about at just the right time, so the other students thought when he approached them with a warm smile and a stack of his usual reading material, balanced high.

 

“Where did he run off to?” 

 

“Well, you see, he’s right here. That pitiful looking creature on the table  _ is _ our Baekhyun,” Seulgi said. 

 

Yixing replied with a slight graveness in his voice, “Just as I thought. That mirror was cursed.”

 

“A rubbish curse if I ever did see one,” Jongdae said. “He’s a fluffy little bird. I’d laugh if I wasn’t so tired.”

 

“If you all are finished, can we figure a way to get rid of this? I don’t like being a bird.”

 

“That’s a tricky one, my friend. What you’ve got there is none other than the work of an  _ Avifors Spell _ ,” Yixing said.

 

“A what?” Jongdae asked.

 

“It’s an enchantment for fowl transformation,” Seulgi replied. 

 

Yixing opened one of his books and leafed through hundreds of documented spells and potions until he reached a page marked by a large illustration of a bird, “ _ The Avifors Spell is characterized by the transformation of its target into a bird. A human victim will transform only during the day, and revert to original form when the moon rises. The spell can only be broken with Dragon’s Breath.”   _

 

“I’ve got a friend in Romania who can help us acquire the Dragon’s Breath, though it might take a few weeks,” Yixing said.

 

“Weeks?” The other three cried out in unison.

 

“You’ll be fine; as if the two of you don’t already try to keep him out of trouble.” 

 

**Part III**

 

Many of us have heard time and again how dreadful it is to realize too late the value of something lost. Baekhyun realized exactly how much he loved being human when he struggled to stay awake in the small cage Jongdae had scavenged for him. Owls were nocturnal creatures and he found that no matter how much he fought overwhelming sleepiness, the daytime was simply not kind to his new, beady eyes. Despite being a small bird, Baekhyun had most definitely not lost his snoring habit and had gotten Jongdae into a fair share of trouble for his “lazy nuisance of a pet”. He spent the latter half of his bird day listening to Seulgi’s endless Herbology chatter as Jongdae fashioned him a small birdhouse. 

 

“Guys, let me out of this cage, I’m hungry!” Baekhyun whined. Outside the window of Seulgi’s dorm, the sun had begun to set in the sky, awakening a ravenous sort of hunger in the little owl. 

 

Jongdae glanced up from his meticulous task of nailing a wooden roof, “Does this mean you want us to trap you a mouse?”

 

“Hell no!” Baekhyun hooted. “Let me out so I can snatch something from the dining hall.”

Jongdae was skeptical as to how the boy would manage to swoop in and pilfer another student’s dinner wirthout being chased. Baekhyun wasn’t very skilled at flying and he had a tendency to become distracted very easily. In other words, he had a long ways to go in order to even be considered an owl. 

 

“Forget that, let’s go to Hogsmeade,” he suggested, unlocking the birdcage. Baekhyun settled on his best friend’s shoulder and flapped his wings excitedly. The feathers tickled Jongdae’s nose,causing him to wrinkle it at the eager little owl.

 

Baekhyun was in for a rude awakening at the tavern Jongdae carried him to. The server had no second thoughts about bringing a roast duck for Jongdae but when he spotted Baekhyun, he disappeared for a considerable amount of time and returned with a dangerously still, furry lump on a plate. 

 

“I’m not eating that,” Baekhyun said, poking the dead mouse with his claws. He hopped towards Jongdae’s plate but the boy held up a finger to stop him.

 

“That would be cannibalism, Baek,” he said.

 

“I find it hilarious that you think I care.”

 

“You make a point,” Jongdae replied. He pushed a piece of the duck to the edge of his plate and watched in amusement as Baekhyun downed it in one go. 

 

Later that evening as they took a long, winding path home, Baekhyun experienced a second transformation- much to his embarrassment. 

 

“Hey Baek, you alright up there?” Jongdae asked. He was concerned about the irregular patterns of flight the little owl was making. 

 

“Uh I think...so,” Baekhyun panted. He coudn’t understand why his body felt so  _ heavy. _

 

Perhaps, he decided, it would be best to continue the rest of his journey on Jongdae’s shoulder. He flapped his wings vigorously but his weight, which had increased by far too much, sent him down, down like an anchor. He shut his eyes tightly as a familiar glow encompassed his body midair. He could feel his limbs stretching, and the gentle apparation of every single feather he owned. A small wing morphed into five dainty fingers, and the last thing he saw before hitting the ground was a very bare pair of legs. 

 

“Baek!” A voice hissed.

 

Baekhyun sat up at once, rubbing the part of his head which had struck the ground. 

 

“I’m back, and it feels good!” He exclaimed. 

 

“You’re also naked,” Jongdae mumbled. 

 

“Damn it! How long have I been laying around..”

 

“Longer than I’d like to admit. You’re lucky I was around.”

 

“Honestly, what would I do without you?” Baekhyun said, slinging his arm around Jongdae’s neck.

 

“Azkaban, you’d end up in Azkaban one day.” 

 

_ Thankfully, Baekhyun never did end up a prisoner, but he certainly did leave his mark on Hogwarts as the most misheivous wizard to ever grace its halls. He didn’t remain cursed forever, in fact, the following week, Yixing’s Romanian friend sent the antidote Dragon’s Breath and everything returned to normal, (as normal as life can be with Byun Baekhyun).  _

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
